Many small companies across Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire are fighting for survival in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a package of measures to support businesses, including grant money for small companies which has been given to local authorities to distribute.
Companies that qualify for small business rate relief can apply for a grant of £10,000 through the Small Business Grant Scheme.
Meanwhile, retail, leisure and hospitality businesses can apply for a grant of £10,000 or £25,000 depending on the company's rateable value.
So far, central government has handed out hundreds of millions of pounds to local councils in the South West region - but how much has actually been distributed so far to companies in need?
Bristol-based chambers of commerce Business West has gathered data from local authorities across the region in a bid to find out how fast money is being handed out.
Business West has pointed out that when the grant scheme was first announced, the government said businesses would not need to apply in order to receive the money.
This has since changed and to get a grant, companies have to apply directly to their local authority with some basic financial information in order to prevent fraud.
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"It is vital that available funds are claimed by trading businesses, and not left unclaimed or claimed by landlords instead," said Matt Griffith, Business West's director of policy.
“Coronavirus is putting intense financial pressures on many of our region’s small and medium-sized businesses, with some facing critical days with survival in the balance, with drastically reduced income putting severe pressure on cash flow and reserves.”
He added: “Many of our local authorities are working incredibly hard, with many working over the Easter Bank Holiday to deliver grants to local businesses. However, there is still considerable variation in how well councils are doing."
Bristol
Bristol has received around £88million in allocated funds from central government to pay small business grants, according to Business West.
It reportedly has an estimated 8,375 businesses which are eligible for funding. On April 14, Bristol City Council had distributed £39.7million in grants to an estimated 2,926 businesses.
This means Bristol has now distributed grants to 35 per cent of eligible businesses (worth 45 per cent of allocated funding).
The council says that 2,631 eligible businesses (31 per cent) have yet to make contact with them to apply for the grant, meaning that they are unable to process grants and that this is holding up their ability to distribute funds.
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Councillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol for finance and governance, said: “From the outset of the current crisis we’ve been proactive with our attempts to provide advice, guidance and support for local businesses.
“Since the government has released the necessary funds needed to provide this support we have quadrupled the size of the team processing grant applications.”
He added: “I urge business owners to check the eligibility criteria and make your application as soon as possible.”
Wiltshire
On April 15, Wiltshire County Council told Business West they had distributed £42million worth of grants (out of a total of £106million).
This means Wiltshire has now distributed 40 per cent of allocated funding to 3,600 businesses.
However, the local authority says more than 8,000 firms are eligible to receive funding. It also said it was working seven days a week to process grants - and plans to continue for "however long is needed".
Philip Whitehead, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We are well aware our local businesses have been seriously impacted by Covid-19 and are struggling to keep afloat.
"We appreciate the stress these businesses are under and we wanted to play our part to ensure our businesses and local economy are supported long-term."
The council urged anyone who has received a letter to contact them with the relevant information, including their letter reference number and business rates account number, in order to process the grants more quickly.
Bath & North East Somerset
The local authority has received £46.1million from central government for distribution, Business West figures show.
Business West said it had not yet been provided with a figure of how many businesses in BANES are eligible to receive these grants.
On April 14, BANES Council had distributed £5.4million worth of grants to 345 businesses. This means the council has now distributed grants worth 12 per cent of allocated funding.
BANES told Business West they have now received a total of 2,082 applications and processed over 550 applications. But they still have many businesses that have not yet applied for the grant.
On April 8, BANES said it was aiming to pay money within seven working days of registrations.
Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy leader, said: “We continue to have a huge response from our local businesses, so once again I’d ask if people could remain patient while our Invest in Bath team works hard to get the payments made.
“They recognise the importance of the money reaching businesses urgently and have worked over the Easter break to process these forms.”
Swindon
Swindon received a total of £31.1million pounds for distribution, according to Business West.
As of April 15, the council had processed grants to 1,360 businesses totalling £16.9million. The estimated number of eligible businesses is 2,700.
The authority says it has sent letters to all businesses that are entitled to support under current government guidance - and any business that has not received a letter but believes they fit the eligibility criteria is being advised to email them for advice.
The e-mail should include full name, business name, business address and business rates account number.
A spokesperson said: "We are continuing to process grants for those eligible businesses who have submitted applications while also continuing to reach out to those who haven’t yet applied.
"Further information and advice for businesses, including for those who may not be eligible for these specific grants but are in need of other support, can be found on our website."
Cheltenham Borough Council
Cheltenham Borough Council received £24.5million from central government, according to Business West, with around 1,750 businesses eligible for grants.
On April 17, Cheltenham had distributed £13million worth of grants to 1,046 businesses.
The council told Business West the majority of grants should be paid by the April 20 - and they are still contacting some companies to make them aware of the grants. They also said some cases require further checks on eligibility.
There are between 400 to 500 eligible businesses that have not yet applied, according to information on the Business West website.
A spokesperson for Cheltenham Borough Council said: "We’re working as quickly as we can to pay the grants to eligible businesses and aim for the money to be in business bank accounts within five working days of receiving the completed form.
"However we do have to make checks to ensure payments are being made to the correct businesses."
North Somerset
North Somerset Council has received £40.4million from central government, according to Business West.
The council told Business Live there are around 3,500 eligible businesses in North Somerset and that it had paid out £11million so far - 27 per cent of the total funding allocated by government.
As of April 16 the local authority says it has dealt with 876 claims.
Cllr Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s executive member for business, economy and employment, said: "We recognise this is a difficult time and we want help organisations get the financial help they need.
"We have an automated process in place and so as soon as applications are reviewed by our team they will automatically flow to businesses – the number in this team has been increased and they worked throughout the Easter weekend to ensure we processed a significant number of applications over that period to alleviate delays where possible."
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire Council has received £39million from central government, Business West said.
The local authority told Business Live it had so far issued payments of nearly £16million to more than 1,300 eligible businesses, meaning they have distributed 41 per cent of the funding allocated to them.
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A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: "We encourage all of the businesses we have contacted to submit their applications so we can issue the funding to those who are eligible.
"We will shortly be writing to all those that haven’t responded to our initial correspondence to remind them to do so, and we will continue to publicise the scheme as widely as possible.”
Tewkesbury Borough Council
Tewkesbury Borough Council received £17.2million from central government, according to Business West, and the council estimates around 1,500 business are eligible.
As of April 15, the authority had paid 766 businesses £8.9million in grants, meaning they have so far distributed 52 per cent of funding to 51 per cent of eligible businesses.
Tewkesbury said they were paying grant claims on a daily basis.
Councillor Rob Bird, leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “We want to ensure that businesses get all the financial support they are entitled to as quickly as possible.
"Our teams have worked extremely hard to approve and pay applications promptly."
He added: "Our Tewkesbury Growth Hub team are always on hand to help guide business owners through the support available to them and get some clarity during these uncertain times.
"They are providing free advice sessions on the support announced by government, including a range of webinars, so again, we encourage business owners to use these.”
Cotswold District Council
Cotswold District Council received approximately £37.5million, Business West said.
Figures on the Cotswold District Council website today (April 17) state that 1,122 grants have been processed, worth £14.4 million. The authority estimates there are more than 2,500 eligible businesses in their authority.
This means Cotswold District Council has now distributed grants to 45 per cent of eligible businesses, worth 38 per cent of allocated funding.
The council told Business West it is still waiting for "key information" from many businesses which have not yet sent the application form in.
Cllr Mike Evemy, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: “We have a dedicated team working exceptionally hard to make sure every eligible business receives their money as soon as possible.
“We are aware of how important it is to so many and we are making every effort to process the applications quickly.”
Stroud District Council
Stroud District Council received £26million, according to Business West. It has an estimated 2,250 businesses that are eligible.
As of April 9, the authority had distributed grants to 900 businesses, to a total of £10.4million.
This means Stroud District Council has now distributed grants to 40 per cent of businesses, which is 40 per cent of the total funds provided by government.
Gloucester City Council
Gloucester City Council has received a total of £21.7million, according to Business West.
Gloucester reportedly has 226 businesses eligible to receive the £25,000 grant and 1,430 businesses eligible to receive the £10,000 grant, giving a total of 1,656 eligible businesses.
As of April 14, Gloucester had reportedly distributed £13.9million worth of grants to 1,135 businesses.
This means Gloucester City Council has now distributed grants worth 64 per cent of allocated funding to 68 per cent of eligible businesses.
The date for estimated completion of grants for all businesses is today (April 17) although the council told Business West this would be “dependent on applications”.
Forest of Dean District Council
The government has reportedly provided £21.2million to Forest of Dean District Council, according to Business West.
Around 2,150 businesses in the local authority are eligible for business support grants and, as of April 7, the council had made payments to 1,050, equating to £10million of cash support.
This means Forest of Dean Council has distributed grants to 49 per cent of eligible businesses - approximately 46 per cent of the total available funding.
A spokesperson said: “We have a dedicated team working really hard to make sure every eligible business receives their money as soon as possible.
"We are aware of how important it is to so many and we are making every effort to process the applications quickly.”
The council says eligible business that have not yet submitted details should visit their website to download an application form.